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A&amp;P by John Updike

“A&P” tells the story about Sammy, a 19-year-old clerk at a grocery store in a small town in New England. When one day three girls in bathing suits enter the store, Sammy notices the most attractive of them, calling her Queenie. Sammy starts to imagine various things about the girls, he adds characteristics to each of them.

The manager of the store told the girls that they were dresses inappropriately to the store’s policy, and should not come in such outfit again. However, he let Sammy to ring them up.

When the girls leave, Sammy decides to quit. He wants to make a statement to the girls. He was hoping that when he leaves the store he would still catch them outside at the parking lot, but the girls were gone. At the end of the story, Sammy watches the manager at the counter in the store and realizes that now he is alone.

“A&P” is a coming of age story. In the beginning of the story, Sammy is an ordinary 19-year-old, who works at the store. However, he begins to change when he watches the girls. He is amused by the reactions, but at the same time he is also defensive. He doesn’t want to become someone, who works at the grocery store for the rest of the life. He quits the job in support of the girls, even though his afraid to get a bad reputation and disapproval from parents.

Change to adulthood in Sammy is also seen when he questions the conformity. In the beginning of the story, he wants to make it clear that he is not like everybody working at the store. He describes the manager of the store, who spends all his time at the store, and one of his co-workers, who wants to become a manager one day. Neither of the men seem happy to Sammy, and he doesn’t want to commit to working at the store as long as they did.

Girls represent nonconformity to Sammy. From the minute they enter the store, they work against the rest. They distract the customers and people working at the store. However, their persistence that they are decent becomes a message to Sammy. When the manager of the store tells the girls that they are not decent and it is not appropriate to wear bathing suits, Sammy realizes that being naughty, different, and even rebellious is okay.

One of the main themes of the story is the power of desire. From the moment the girls enter the store, they attract the look of every man in there, which shows the power their sexuality gives to them over the opposite sex. Although, they are trying to act nonchalant, they are well aware that everybody is looking at them. Their strategy is not to acknowledge the men’s interest then they still remain in position of power. The manager of the store undermines their power and tries to lessen it. The girls make the men act piggishly. In Sammy, however, they inspire a deeper reaction.

“A&P” tells the story about Sammy, a 19-year-old clerk at a grocery store in a small town in New England. When one day three girls in bathing suits enter the store, Sammy notices the most attractive of them, calling her Queenie. Sammy starts to imagine various things about the girls, he adds characteristics to each of them.